Soil is connected to almost all aspects of our lives, yet we often take it for granted. To mark the International Day of Soil on December 5, we interviewed several project managers at the European Environment Agency (EEA) about this precious resource.

Soil is connected to almost all aspects of our lives, yet we often take it for granted. To mark the International Day of Soil on December 5, we interviewed several project managers at the European Environment Agency (EEA) about this precious resource.

Emissions of nitrogen-containing pollutants continue to harm sensitive ecosystems, according to two new reports published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Nonetheless, both reports show a marked improvement over the last two decades.

Calculated by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE).
While the overall patterns of erosion are generally sound, the validation of erosion data can be challenging. The data presented are currently being validated through comparisons with national datasets and expert judgement. In this sense, zooming in on a specific locality can give the impression of a situation that differs from reality. In addition, the model used in this exercise does not consider localised intense precipitation.

Soil is one of the planet's invaluable resources but continues to be degraded in Europe. Together, the mineral particles, water, air, organic matter, and living organisms that constitute soil perform key functions which underpin our society.

Last year alone there were 50 more melting days on the Greenland ice sheet than on average, meaning we now see an average net loss of ice mass of 200 gigatons per year - a level that is four times higher than just back in the year 2000.